Germany's Lufthansa Fines 'Biggest Ever' for Denying All Jewish Passengers

ⓒYTN

German airline Lufthansa has been fined $4 million (about 5.45 billion won), the largest amount ever, after refusing to allow all Jewish passengers to board because some Jewish passengers did not follow mask instructions.

The Washington Post (WP) and the BBC reported on the 15th local time that the U.S. Department of Transportation imposed the largest fine ever for airline citizenship violations, saying Lufthansa discriminated against passengers.

128 Jewish passengers who left New York, USA, for an event honoring traditional rabbis in May 2022, were denied boarding by Lufthansa on a connecting flight from Frankfurt, Germany, to Budapest, Hungary.

During his flight from New York, the captain informed Lufthansa security that some passengers did not comply with the crew's demands to wear masks and not gather in the in-flight aisle and cooking room, and Lufthansa refused to allow all 128 Jewish passengers to board the connection.

However, most of them did not know each other because they booked flights individually or in small groups.Passengers surveyed by the U.S. Department of Transportation
said Lufthansa "refused everyone (Jews) to board for the actions of several people who appeared to be wrong" because he was a publicly visible Jew.

"No one should face discrimination when traveling," U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttizi said in a statement. "Today's action sends a clear message to the airline industry that we are ready to investigate and take action whenever passengers' citizenship is violated."

Lufthansa denied discrimination against passengers, saying, "It is due to an unfortunate series of inaccurate communications," and stressed, "Lufthansa is doing its best to become an ambassador of good faith, tolerance, diversity and acceptance."

Reporter Lee Yu Na from Digital News Team.